Latino
Latinas Make Major Strides For Orange County Political Office
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – Latinas made major strides in winning seats for political office during the 2018 Orange County general election. Orange County voters elected and re-elected five Latinas to public office to serve as state representative, conservation supervisor, county commissioner and school board member. Incumbent Conservation Supervisor Daisy Morales is the county’s top vote winner with 256,342 votes, (64%) among the elected Latina candidates.
LATINAS MAKING STRIDES FOR POLITICAL OFFICE
INCUMBENT CONSERVATION SUPERVISOR DAISY MORALES
The Honorable Daisy Morales
Orange Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor (Re-elected)
In her bid for re-election, Orange County voters delivered a massive landslide victory for incumbent Supervisor Daisy Morales, who currently serves as the Board Vice Chair of the Orange County Soil & Water Conservation District. She will retain her seat on the five-member Board of Supervisors for another four-year term. In addition, Morales will become the new Board Chair upon Chairman Eric Rollings’ December 4th resignation.
Supervisor Morales received an overwhelming 256,116 supermajority of Orange County County’s 479,012 votes cast (63.96%) to defeat opponent Sean McQuade, who received 144,285 votes (36.04%), according to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website. After a mandatory machine recount, Morales gained 226 votes.
Morales campaigned on community outreach and environmental justice for communities of color, seniors, youth and people with disabilities.
As a state elected official, Morales must be sworn in on or before January 6, 2019.
About Daisy Morales
Daisy Morales of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in the Bronx, New York.
Supervisor Morales is a 30-year resident of the Lake Pickett community in east Orange County. She retired from the U.S. Government after 23 years of service working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State. She earned an Associate Degree in Criminology and Administration from Puerto Rico Junior College. She’s a military mother and was a caretaker for her adult sister, who had special needs.
Since taking office, Supervisor Morales has made significant progress on educating local elected officials, government agencies, public schools, community groups and landowners about the role and function of a Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor, Board members and the District as a state agency.
Supervisor Morales is the only Spanish-speaking Board member. She focuses on communities of color, the Spanish-speaking population, seniors and youth to make sure they are not left behind on obtaining information, resources and grants on conservation issues.
PUBLIC SERVICE & AFFILIATIONS
- Member of Florida Urban Forestry Council
- Member of Orange County Disability Board
- Member of League of Women Voters of Orange County
- Community Ambassador for Orange County Elder Ambassadors
- Advisor for Orange County 4H (Youth Programs)
- Advisor for Orange Technical College’s School Advisory Council
- Former Advisor for Orange County Farmworker Jobs & Education Program
- Former Member of Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida
- Former Member of County Watch
- Former Chair of Florida Civil Rights Association’s Hispanic Affairs Committee
- Former Peer Educator for Hispanic Health Initiative
- Ordained Chaplain by Christian Star – (Estrella Cristiana) Chaplain Ministries
INCUMBENT STATE REPRESENTATIVE AMY MERCADO
The Honorable Amy Mercado
District 48 State Representative (Re-elected)
Amy Mercado: 37,279 (73.38%) votes to George Chandler 13,525 (26.62%) votes
About Amy Mercado
Amy Mercado is a working mom of 6, former healthcare worker and caretaker to ailing grandparents. She is of Puerto Rican descent and hails from the Bronx, New York. Florida State Senator Victor “Vic” Torres, a former New York City Transit Police Detective, is her father.
Community Leadership:
- Field Manager for Tiffany Moore Russell for Orange County Clerk of Court
- Campaign Manager for Ricardo Rangel, House District 43
- Campaign Manager for Victor M. Torres, House District 48
- Florida Elector for President Barack Obama
- Former Chairwoman of the Orange County DEC
- Former President of the Orange County Democratic Hispanic Caucus
- Former Interim Secretary of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement’s Central Florida Chapter
- Former Secretary of the Florida Council of the League of United Latin American Citizens
- Former Board Member of Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando
- Former Democratic Candidate for Florida House District 35 vs. Speaker of Florida House Dean Cannon
Memberships:
- Society of Human Resource Management
- Greater Orlando Society for Human Resource Management
- Florida Voters League
- Former Member of the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando
COMMISSIONER-ELECT MAYRA URIBE
The Honorable Mayra Uribe
Orange County District 3 Commissioner-Elect
Mayra Uribe: 40,021 (57.15%) votes to Pete Crotty’s 30,001 (42%85%) votes
About Mayra Uribe
Mayra Uribe is a former aide to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and well-known advocate for her community through her work for charities and nonprofits. She previously ran for District 4.
When Pete Clarke, then District 3 Commissioner, vacated his seat to run for Orange County Mayor, Uribe saw an opportunity to represent and serve District 3 in county government. She is a lifelong resident of Orange County and grew up in District 3.
Uribe draws on her more than six years of experience working for Sen. Nelson in his Orlando office, where her main priorities were immigration, transportation, military, FEMA, and labor issues.
For the last five years, Mayra has worked with nonprofits (Healthy Start, Bootcamp for New Dads) as well as raised awareness for Central Florida’s homeless children and families through various campaigns and efforts to strengthen the people and improve the lives of those in her community.
Uribe is married to local radio show host Kevin Sutton. Their daughter Faith is 14 years old and their son Lincoln was born in May of this year.
COMMISSIONER-ELECT MARIBEL GOMEZ CORDERA
The Honorable Maribel Gomez Cordera
Orange County District 4 Commissioner-Elect
Maribel Gomez Cordero: 37,723 (50.12%) votes to Susan Makowski 37,547 (49.88%)
About Maribel Cordero
Maribel Gomez Cordero was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She has been living in Orange County for the past twenty years. She is a mother of three and earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling specializing in Marriage and Family from Webster University.
Throughout her career as a Social Worker, Cordero has worked for Children’s Home Society/Department of Children and Families, and as a Clinical Psychotherapist at Life and Work Solutions Counseling. Cordero dedicated herself to work for those who experience crisis, and provides support to individuals, families and groups within the community. She was recognized in 2002 by the Educational Foundation for the Advancement of Child Welfare with the “A Person That Makes A Difference” Award from the Florida Coalition for Children of Central Florida.
Cordero has been active in the county by participating as board member on various advisory boards in Orange County government, for example, the Charter Review Commission, and the Community Action and Advisory Board. She is also a board member for WE Hispanic Women Chamber of Commerce, and advisor for Nuevo Sendero Domestic Violence Program.
Cordero has served the community through her church; counseling, food and clothing drives to the homeless, and referrals for resources in the community for people in need. As a small business entrepreneur, Maribel manages her private practice in psychotherapy.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER JOHANNA LOPEZ
The Honorable Johanna Lopez
Orange County Public Schools Board Member
Johanna Lopez: 40,104 (60.77%) votes to David Grimm 25,885 (39.23) votes
About Johanna Lopez
Johanna López was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, to a war veteran and a stay-at-home mom. There, she earned her Bachelors of Arts in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and, later, a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico.
In 1998, Lopez relocated to Orlando, where she first worked at a car wash and then at a fast food restaurant. After volunteering and serving as a substitute teacher at Colonial High School, she became a full-time Spanish teacher in 1999.
As Colonial’s AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature teacher, Lopez and her students have achieved perfect passing rates on AP exams over the past decade.
At Colonial High School, Lopez has been an active participant in different extracurricular activities. She has served as both the girls’ varsity volleyball coach and Hispanic Honor Society sponsor. Through both positions, she has encouraged her students to serve the community. In 2015, Lopez’s Hispanic Honor Society held a massive voter registration drive, where more than 500 students registered to vote. Currently, she is the sponsor of Latinos in Action, an organization that seeks to empower young Latino students to become the nation’s future leaders.
When the mother of four experienced how difficult it was to navigate the public school system as a parent, she founded Familias Presentes: Estudiantes Excelentes, an online forum directed to making parents aware of different educational issues and opportunities. As a member of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association (CTA) and Maestros Puertorriqueños en Acción, she has advocated for the expansion of teachers’ benefits.
She is also a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council and served as a member of the OCPS Calendar Committee, the OCPS Foundation, Leadership Orange, and the Superintendent’s Public Education Leadership Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Due to her leadership inside and outside of the classroom, Lopez has been recognized at the local, state, and national levels. In 2016, she became the first Latina to win the Teacher of the Year award from Orange County Public Schools. In that role, she was recognized as one of five recipients of the Governor’s Shine Award for Inspirational Teachers. At a national level, Lopez has been awarded the Queen Smith Award for Commitment to Urban Public Education and the Life Changer of the Year award.
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – The Don Quijote Awards, presented by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and Prospera, is Central Florida’s premier business awards gala with good reason.
The black-tie gala, which celebrates the Hispanic business community by recognizing small business owners as well as business and community leaders who help propel the Hispanic business community forward, filled Epcot’s Showplace Pavilion with well over 1,000 formally dressed attendees for its 25th anniversary Saturday.
The prestigious ceremony recognizes companies and individuals in six categories:
- Hispanic Business of the Year, 5 Years or Less
- Hispanic Business of the Year, Over 5 years
- Professional of the Year
- Excellence Award
- Hispanic Community Champion (this award is given to a non-Hispanic who avidly works to support and strengthen the Hispanic community)
- Lifetime Achievement Award
The 2022 Don Quijote Award Winners
Hispanic Business of the Year, 5 Years or Less: Guacamole Mexican Grill
(center trio, from left to right): Gustavo Aristizabal, Mayessi El Halabi and Diego Rojas, co-founders of Guacamole Mexican Grill, Inc, receive the Don Quijote Award for Hispanic Business of the Year, 5 Years or Less. Photo: Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News.
Hispanic Business of the Year, Over 5 years: SkyBuilders USA
(center duo, left to right): Marcela Restrepo and Juan Velez, co-founders of SkyBuilders USA, LLC, receive the 2022 Don Quijote Award for Hispanic Business of the Year, Over 5 Years. Photo: Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News.
Professional of the Year: Luis Nieves-Ruiz, Economic Development Director, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council
Luis Nieves-Ruiz, Economic Development Director for East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (center), received the 2022 Don Quijote Professional of the Year Award. Photo: Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News.
Excellence Award: Former State Representative Bob Cortes,
Senior Government Affairs Administrator, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
Former State Representative Bob Cortes, Senior Government Affairs Administrator for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, receives the 2022 Don Quijote Excellence Award. Photo: Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News.
Hispanic Community Champion: Dr. James Michael Burkett, President, Florida Technical College
Dr. James Michael Burkett, President, Florida Technical College (center), receives the 2022 Don Quijote Hispanic Community Champion Award. Photo: Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Modesto Alcala,
Senior VP of Global Restaurant Development and Placemaking for Universal Creative at Universal Parks & Resorts
Modesto Alcala, Senior VP of Global Restaurant Development and Placemaking for Universal Creative at Universal Parks & Resorts, receives the 2022 Don Quijote Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo: Shreyank Tripathi/Florida National News.
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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com
Latino
Lt. Governor Nominee Karla Hernández’s ‘Latinas for Choice’ Tour Kickoff Lacks Hispanic Women Leaders
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Karla Hernández, Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Florida, held a press conference outside of Orlando City Hall to announce the campaign’s Latinas For Choice tour Wednesday morning.
Hernández was joined by five progressive activists, including Orange County School Board Member Johnna Lopez, State Representative Anna Eskamani and former State Representative District 48 candidate Samuel Vilchez Santiago.
The following Orange County Hispanic women elected leaders did not attend Hernandez’s Latinas for Choice announcement:
- Florida State Representative Daisy Morales
- Orange County District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe
- Orange County District 4 Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero
- Orange County District 5 Commissioner Emily Bonilla
- Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado
- Orange County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Raquel Lozano
While the campaign tour is just launched and in its infancy, the press conference showcased a humble beginning in terms of support for a major support. It appeared that no Spanish-speaking news outlets were present to cover the announcement. Local media outlets WESH 2, WFTV Channel 9 and Florida National News were the outlets present.
Two of the six individuals at the podium being men, and one being a young student. The total number of Latinas, then, was three–if the young lady is included in the count.
However, there may be a reason for that.
New Poll Shows a Different Priority Among Latino Voters
The Palm Beach Post reported findings from a recent poll which showed that 70% of Florida Hispanics oppose making abortion illegal, but it’s not their biggest issue. According to the Post, a large majority of Florida Hispanic voters believe it’s wrong to make abortion illegal, even if it goes against their personal beliefs. Here’s the breakdown of what Hispanic voters in the poll feel are “the most important issues that elected officials should address”:
- Inflation/rising cost of living (53%)
- Crime/gun violence (38%)
- Jobs/economy (36%)
- Healthcare (21%)
- Climate/environment (16%)
Abortion, at 15%, tied with a lack of affordable housing/high rents and Social Security and Medicare.
When asked about this during the press conference, Hernandez assured that Charlie Crist, assuming he’s elected governor in November, would prioritize legislation addressing the top three priorities listed in the poll. Watch the livestream of the full press conference above.
Latino
VIDEO: Morales Campaign Drops Rita Harris’s F-Bomb-Laced Tirade Targeting Bernie Sanders and Progressive Supporters
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – The Daisy Morales campaign released a video over the weekend of opponent Jennifer “Rita” Harris‘s profanity-laced tirade against U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and his progressive supporters on Harris’s Medium blog account.
Harris has deleted the account.
The Morales campaign brought the receipts in this press release, with screenshots from Harris’s Medium blog account and various Facebook posts.
Morales’s campaign pointed out the irony of Harris’s attack on Sen. Bernie Sanders and his supporters and her current backing by the progressive arm of the Democratic Party, United for Progress, Ruth’s List Florida, and other progressive groups.
The Morales campaign slammed Harris in the press release saying “she cannot be trusted, is unfit to serve in public office, and isn’t safe around children younger than 13 years old when it comes to vulgar language, dubbing herself a “part time a**hole” on her Medium blog account (which, by the way, has now been taken down).”
Harris’s Medium post, “Be Gone Bernie Sanders, and Take Your Little Bots Too,” attacks Bernie Sanders and his progressive supporters with a slew of profanities. The campaign warns that viewers will need earbuds to view the video, which is an almost seven-minute voice-to-text read-along of the blog post.
The Morales campaign continued its attack, followed by several screenshots of Harris’s Facebook posts containing F-bombs: “Tallahassee lawmakers are expected to represent the people of our districts and the state of Florida with dignity and respect. Not everything has to be a vulgar attack. Anger must be controlled. And Harris seems to have a lot of it—minus the control.
“Her social media posts are riddled with F-bombs, whether they are friendly or contentious.”
Source: Facebook.
Source: Facebook.
Source: Facebook.
Source: Facebook.
The Morales campaign ended the video drop by saying, “This is the real Jennifer “Rita” Harris.”
The Morales Campaign Triples Down on Harris’s Business Background
Following the video drop, the Morales campaign again highlights Harris’s business background, referring to the Orlando Sentinel’s most recent article with Harris finally opening up about her business background.
The press release says in relevant part:
“If all that wasn’t enough, Harris isn’t forthcoming about her business background. She kept that information from the voters and from the media. Her campaign never listed her business background, and the voters have a right to know. She admitted herself to the Orlando Sentinel in a recent article that she only lists herself as a CEO of her husband’s company, Harris Cloud Consulting, on LinkedIn “for networking purposes.” Why is that deception necessary? There’s nothing wrong with being a housewife promoting your husband’s company on his behalf.
“It turns out Harris Cloud Consulting isn’t the first company she’s been listed as the CEO for. She was the CEO of Kronos Unlimited, LLC, a failed business dissolved by the State. This looks like a pattern. She’s essentially a fake CEO. It’s also interesting that the Orlando Sentinel learned of her deception after they endorsed her.
“If she’s being deceptive here and now, what’s to stop her from doing it in Tallahassee? What else is she being dishonest about? (Besides the work address for one of the companies they registered in Florida using a non-Florida address and zip code.)”
Morales Campaign Also Doubles Down on Lack of Vetting on Harris
“All of this foolishness speaks loudly to the lack of a real background check on the part of the people and organizations endorsing Harris, like the Democratic establishment and high profile Democrats like Charlie Crist, State Attorney Monique Worrell, State Senators Victor Torres and Jason Pizzo, and School Board Member Johanna Lopez, just name a few,” said Rep. Morales in the press release.
“There are Democratic candidates in other Florida races that organizations and elected officials have had to rescind their endorsements from because they failed to do their research. State Rep. Anna Eskamani warned Florida Democrats of that recently concerning the Ag Commissioner race.”
Rep. Morales went on to say that Harris’s titles as Orange County Democratic Party Vice Chair and founder and former President of the Democratic Women’s Club of South Orange County don’t exempt her from a thorough background check, saying that even those running for US President have to undergo rigorous scrutiny. “It seems like in this race, many turned a blind eye to Harris’s history.”
Morales ends the press release by expressed gratitude for “the concerned voters that brought this to my campaign’s attention.”
